


Unconditional

by rainbowgoddess



Category: due South
Genre: Drama, M/M, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-08-09
Updated: 2000-08-09
Packaged: 2018-11-10 23:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11136594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowgoddess/pseuds/rainbowgoddess
Summary: Ray thinks that a secret from his past will lose him Fraser's love.





	Unconditional

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).
    
    
    How many times? How many times had Fraser been shot, stabbed, blown up,
    beaten? Ray Vecchio thanked whatever saints or angels kept watch over
    insane Canadian Mounties that his friend hadn't been badly hurt.
    
    This time.
    
    A stupid liquor store robbery, and Fraser had to be a hero. A gun, a
    shot, Fraser fell, Ray wasted the shooter with one shot from his own
    weapon. Why did Benny always put himself in that kind of situation?
    
    He knew why. Because the gun had been aimed at him, Ray. Not at Fraser.
    Benny had stepped in front of him at the last minute.
    
    Stupid Mountie. Stupid, wonderful, annoying, amazing Mountie. What had
    Ray ever done to deserve a friend like Benny? To merit Benny risking
    his life for him? 
    
    A pretty nurse interrupted his reverie. "Detective Vecchio? You can see
    Constable Fraser now." He thanked her and headed for Benny's room.
    
    "How are you feeling, Benny?" he asked when he saw the Mountie.
    
    "I'm fine, Ray."
    
    "No you're not fine, Benny! You were shot!"
    
    Benny shrugged slightly. "It's not serious."
    
    Ray sighed. "No, but it could have been. What made you step in front
    of that guy, Benny? Was it because he was going to shoot me?"
    
    "Yes," came his friend's soft reply.
    
    "Why, Benny? Why would you risk your life for me?"
    
    "Because you're my best friend, Ray. And because I love you."
    
    Fraser saw Ray's face turn pale. "No, Benny... you can't love me." 
    
    "Why not?" asked Ben.
    
    "You don't know what I am, what I've done. You can't love me, not after
    what I've let myself become."
    
    "I don't understand, Ray. I'm certainly far from perfect.  I made you
    blow up your car, I nearly caused you to lose your home, I've endangered
    your life ... yet you still care for me, perhaps even love me. What could
    you have possibly done that would make me stop loving you?" 
    
    Love. Benny loved him. And yes, he loved Benny. But he didn't deserve
    this love. Ray choked out two words: "Frank Zuko."
    
    "What about him, Ray?"
    
    "I slept with him."
    
    "And?" inquired Benny.
    
    "Isn't that enough?"
    
    "Not enough to make me stop loving you," answered Fraser. "Do you want
    to tell me about it?" 
    
    "Want to tell you?" Ray laughed humourlessly. "No."
    
    "Will you tell me anyway?" asked Benny.
    
    Ray sighed and paced around the small hospital room. "When we were kids,
    everyone knew that Frankie swung both ways. No one ever talked about
    it, but we knew. I guess after we all went our separate ways I kinda
    forgot about it. And then a few years ago when my marriage broke up,
    I was, well, I was lonely. And I ran into Frankie." He paused and took
    a deep breath. "You have to understand, Benny. I'm not gay. Really, I
    like women. But ... well, I guess I'm bisexual." 
    
    "I do understand, Ray. I don't judge you for it. Bisexuality is probably
    more common than most people think."
    
    "Anyway, like I said, I was lonely. And at the time I didn't really care
    who I used to  ... to ease the loneliness. I ran into him at a bar. I
    picked him up, basically." 
    
    "And?"
    
    "And we went to a motel - I lived with my family, he had servants and
    various other people at his house, so it had to be a motel - and we ...
    had sex." 
    
    "And after that?"
    
    "After that we went our separate ways and didn't see each other again
    till the thing with the shoemaker and the church poor box," Ray finished.
    
    "So it was only one time," commented Fraser.
    
    "Yeah."
    
    "And you didn't allow it to influence the way you handled his case, either
    with the shoemaker or with the car bombing."
    
    Ray shrugged. "It may have coloured my - my *attitude* toward him, but
    no, it's not like I gave him any special favours or anything."
    
    "Then why make a big deal out of it?" Benny asked.
    
    "Because he's a piece of dirt! And I let him ... I let him ...have my
    body." Ray shuddered. "Even now my skin crawls when I think about it.
    I don't know how you can stand to look at me." 
    
    "Like I said before, I love you, Ray."
    
    "You shouldn't. I don't deserve it."
    
    "Because of something that happened before I met you? Because you were
    lonely and looking for comfort? "
    
    "Because, Benny, your love is so ... so *good*, so *pure*, it shouldn't
    be wasted on someone like me."
    
    "Ray, you know as well as anyone what I've done for love - or for what
    I thought was love," stated the Mountie. "I sometimes wonder how you
    could even continue to be my friend after what I put you through with
    Victoria."
    
    "But Benny, I love you!" Ray exclaimed. Then he looked embarrassed. "Guess
    that's what you've been trying to tell me, huh?"
    
    Benny smiled. "Come here, Ray," he said.
    
    Ray sat on the edge of the bed. Benny wrapped his arms around his partner.
    "Do you know the meaning of the word 'unconditional' ?" he asked the
    detective.
    
    "Yeah, I do, why?" Ray asked.
    
    "Because that is the way my love is for you. Unconditional. Nothing can
    ever change it. Even if you sent me away and told me you never wanted
    to see me again. I would go, but I would never stop loving you."
    
    "I wouldn't ever send you away, Benny," Ray insisted. "I love you, too.
    Unconditionally." The two men kissed each other. "What did I ever do
    to deserve your love?" 
    
    "You were just yourself, Ray. That's all it took."
    
    END
    
    


End file.
